ION Studio at AKRIS Charity Luncheon

A few weeks ago, I trekked to Cipriani Midtown--okay, more like walked about two blocks from the office-- for the AKRIS charity luncheon and fashion show. The space, if you've never seen it, is unbelievable....

A few weeks ago, I trekked to Cipriani Midtown--okay, more like walked about two blocks from the office-- for the AKRIS charity luncheon and fashion show. The space, if you’ve never seen it, is unbelievable.... [#image: /photos/5582b53aa28d9d4e054138c3]||||||A few weeks ago, I trekked to Cipriani Midtown--okay, more like walked about two blocks from the office-- for the AKRIS charity luncheon and fashion show. The space, if you’ve never seen it, is unbelievable. Very old New York--I felt like I was in an episode of Gossip Girl! Backstage, I caught up with one of my fashion week favorites, Pasquale Ferrante from ION Studio (ionstudionyc.com) who I first met at Coventry. Pasquale is so talented and SO charming--it’s always a blast to see him! Unlike the messy braided masterpieces at Coventry, Pasquale was working the girls’ long hair into tight, sleek buns when I saw him. "The direction we were going for was to have the hair off the face, pulled back, yet not slick or wet in appearance," he notes. To start, Pasquale and his team blew the hair back away from the face. "We pulled the hair into an extremely tight ponytail using an elastic with hooks on either end, which enabled us to pull the hair tighter than with normal elastics," he said. "Then, we texturized the ponytail slightly with product and by hand so we got more of an organic, messy look. The next step was to work the the ponytail into a loose bun, and then do detail work around the bun to give it even more texture." Using Davines Defining Texturizer before the blowdry and finishing with Davines Defining Invisible Hairspray (both eco-friendly!), the ION team styled a fleet of girls inspired by the AKRIS collection, which left Pasquale and all in attendance in awe: "The combination of all the girls, the collection and the atmosphere really came together to a beautiful final image!"